


My Own Detriment

by Luthano



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Arranged Marriage, Elves, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fantasy, Forced Marriage, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Coercion, Sexual Harassment, Verbal Abuse, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 17:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13322667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luthano/pseuds/Luthano
Summary: Negalia is a naive, hopeless romantic, falling in love with any boy that treats her halfway decent. Unfortunately, she never finds someone who feels the same way she does. She's only 19 and has a lot to learn about the world,but her neglectful parents are eager to get rid of their daughter, who they consider to be the black sheep of the family. They arrange her to be married to Prince Jericho- a sadistic, cruel man with no morals. Negalia struggles with her fiancee and life in general as time ticks away towards the inevitable wedding.





	My Own Detriment

**Author's Note:**

> A short story containing events that focus around my dnd character Negalia (a high elf) and her abusive fiancee. I wrote it as a backstory a while back and thought I'd share here. I originally wrote it for my DM a while back so he could get some insight on her character, so things may be out of context for anyone else reading it. 
> 
> comments, thoughts, and criticism are all greatly appreciated and keep me motivated!

...Was this really a good idea?

It seemed like it would only end in disaster. 

No no no. Stop thinking like that. 

Be positive, Negalia. 

If you just smile and go through with it, it can’t go wrong! 

Negalia finished talking to herself in her mirror, and placed her lipstick down. She kneeled over to pet Poga, her pet Bengal Tiger, and left her room. Today was going to be a good day.

She hoped.

\--

 

Over the past few weeks, she had been writing in her journal, planning out and thinking of all the possible incomes of her confession. She was anxious of course, but she eventually found the courage. She was shy around him, no doubt about it. Matteo was sweet, calm, never rose his voice at her, and always smiled. Whenever she stopped by, he was happy to see her, it made her feel flustered, happy. Being around him made her feel elated, like no one else made her feel before. He was a true friend- no, more than a friend. At least that was how she thought of him. 

And she wanted him to know that. 

She picked several different flowers from the garden, just for him. White roses, daffodils, violets, lilacs. She tied them with some loose string and headed into town to meet him with a confident spring in her step. She made sure she wore a nice outfit, a pink dress with white pearls and brown boots that went up to her knees. 

It was a slow day it seemed, no one in the bakery save for a few window shoppers. When he saw her come in, he smiled and waved hello. His eyes were a warm brown, bright like honey. When she made eye contact, she felt her heart skip a beat. When he looked at her, he was kind. Like he actually wanted to see her. It was nice, it was welcoming, it was… something she never felt before. 

They made casual conversation, and when the few people eyeing the cakes left, she handed him the flowers. He grinned, thanking her and placed them in a vase that already held several other flowers by the cash register. 

“I… wanted to come today to tell you that… well…” Negalia trailed off, trying to think of a right way to phrase it. It was like all her meticulous planning was for nothing. Matteo smiled patiently, trying to finish her sentence.

“Well?” He smiled, leaning forward onto the counter and resting his chin on his hand. He looked up at her with those big, bright, expressive eyes of his. It was enough to make her heart flutter and lose her composure completely. 

“I-I...like you!” Negalia managed to choke out, albeit awkwardly. “I- I think you’re really nice and sweet! Like, you know, like the stuff you make!” Negalia averted her eyes to the ceiling. This was going terribly. Matteo shifted his position slightly, now standing up right, clearly not expecting her to say that. “You’re a…. Really sweet guy. I think you’re cute, and, I was wondering if you were okay with….Me dating you.” Negalia said, all in one breath. She let out a deep exhale, and looked at Matteo expectantly. He stared at her with a bewildered expression for a few seconds, before awkwardly laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I… thank you Negalia. I appreciate the thought. That’s really sweet of you to think that. But… uh. I don’t think I’m ready for… dating anyone right now.” He mumbled, still maintaining the sincerity in his voice. “Thank you for the flowers though, they’re lovely!” 

As Negalia felt her heart sank, she joined in on his uncomfortable laughter. 

“Oh! Yeah! Aha, sorry. Yeah. I’m glad you like the flowers! Ok bye!” Negalia rambled, walking backwards and eventually turning straight around to escape through the front doors. 

And she left before he even got the chance to reply. 

\-- 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Negalia yelled, pulling her hair at the sides. She balled her fists with frustration and cried into them, sobbing loudly enough for anyone else in the garden to hear. ‘Why did I think that was a good idea?! Why would he like me? Why would ANYONE like me?!’ 

 

The elven girl picked up the hem of her dress and patted her eyes dry, not caring if she got mascara on the expensive fabric. Who was she trying to impress anyway? It’s not like wearing nice clothes made her look any less hideous. She continued wailing in frustration, which eventually led to a quiet, faint sob.The stone bench she sat on began to creak as she shifted her positions, most likely from years of use and wear. She looked over to see her journal, which only served as a reminder of her failed confession. She felt the tears come back again, and sniffled. She picked up the journal, and hugged it, like it was the only friend she had in the world.

Before she knew it- she felt a large, fluffy head rest itself on her knee. She looked down to see Poga, gazing up at her with worry in his eyes. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her beloved pet, and gave him a good scratch behind his ears. He purred loudly, and curled up next to her. 

“...Thanks, Poga.” Negalia laughed softly, stroking the fur between his eyes. The large tiger nudged her with his head, beckoning to be pet again. Negalia smiled, glad she still had someone to rely on, even if it was an animal. Suddenly Poga’s ears perked up, as if he heard something startling, and he jumped over the marble bench and disappeared into the trees behind her. Negalia turned around, to see the tiger was gone completely. 

Negalia hiccuped softly, picking up the white glove she discarded earlier and attempted to dry her raw, wet eyes. It didn’t take too long for her notice the piercing noise of boots clacking on the marble walkway coming from behind her. 

Oh no.

Anyone but him. Please. Not now. 

A boy, around the same age as Negalia, made his way down the garden path and stood before her, arms folded and smirking. His name was Jericho, but Negalia internally referred to him as 'Satan'.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jericho asked amused, allowing himself a seat next to the sobbing girl on the bench. Negalia looked up, clenching the notebook she held in her hands. 

“Why are you here?” Negalia choked out, scooting away from the prince who sat much too close to her. 

“Does that matter? My father and mother were passing through your town and decided to visit your parents, something about your stupid birthday celebration. Trust me, I don’t want be here either.” He sneered, rolling his eyes. “And why are you sniveling like a child? Did you walk into a sliding glass door again?” Jericho smirked, leaning back against the bench and propping his boots up on the water fountain nearby. Negalia frowned, noticing the dirt from his soles fall into the clear water. 

“I... I don’t want to talk about it.” Negalia replied, wiping her wet face with her damp sleeve. She picked up her dress by it's hem and walked away, wanting to go back inside. Inevitably, Jericho grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. 

“Hey! Who do you think you are, trying to leave when all I want to do is have a conversation with you? I just want to know what’s wrong!” He softened his voice in an attempt to sound sincere, but his tight grip on her wrist told a different story. 

Negalia bit her lip, her head hanging low, defeated. 

“I just..” She started, eventually breaking out into a soft cry, hiccuping uncontrollably. 

“You just what?” Jericho demanded impatiently, finally letting her go and pushing her back onto the bench. Negalia gasped and clutched her notebook tight. He stared down at her, disgusted. 

“I... I wanted to tell someone I liked him. And he didn’t feel the same way.” Negalia whimpered, her voice cracking. Jericho scoffed, folding his arms. 

“You’re seriously getting that worked up over something like that? Besides, what did you expect? I mean, have you looked in a mirror lately?” Jericho snorted at his own rude comment, and sat himself down next to the crying girl. “Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean a guy’s gonna like you, Negalia.” He spat out her name like a curse word. He leaned in closer, his mouth forming into a nasty sneer. “And even if there was a guy desperate enough for cash, I think your face would scare him away easily.”

Negalia sniffled, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her dress. She knew if she just fought back, it would provoke him. But acting like a doormat never seemed to help her either. When Jericho noticed she wasn’t responding, he continued. 

“You’re just a sad, pathetic girl who expects people to like you.” He let himself relax into the chair, gesturing to her. “Who was the unlucky guy you tried to hit on anyway?” 

She really didn’t want to tell him. But she knew how he acted when he didn’t get his way. “His name is Matteo.” She mumbled, her breath growing heavy.

“You say that like I’m supposed to know who that is.” Jericho deadpanned, raising a brow.

“He’s a baker. He works at the shop across the road from where I live.” Negalia replied, her lips trembling. “...Can you please just leave me alone?” 

 

Ignoring her request, Jericho moved closer to the girl on the bench, placing his hand on her thigh. 

“But why would I do that? I’m trying to be your friend, Negalia.” He smiled, white teeth showing. “Look, you’re sad, I get that. How about I try to cheer you up?” 

“I- I’m… r- really not interested.” Negalia stuttered, trying to pry Jericho’s hand off of her leg. He squeezed her thigh, causing Negalia to gasp out of surprise. He grabbed her by the hair, pulling her hair back harshly. She let out a sharp whine, and struggled against him to fight her way out of the chair. He slammed his hand over her mouth, hissing “Shut up!” 

 

He leered in front of her for a few moments, staring. Negalia looked up at him, horrified and paralyzed in fear. She couldn’t move- she couldn’t talk. All she could do was stare at Jericho’s cold, piercing dark blue eyes that made her more uneasy than she thought possible. His pupils were small, focused on her- then they darted quickly, spotting something behind her. With the sound of rustling leaves and a low, threatening growl, Jericho backed away from Negalia. The elven girl turned around to see Poga, emerging from the trees with a sinister look. Jericho stumbled backwards, bringing his hands up in defense. 

“You let that thing wander around freely? God, you really are insane.” Jericho spat, trying desperately to hide the fear in his voice. 

“Maybe you should go now.” Negalia replied, feeling more confident as she brought her hand on top of Poga’s head, who stood towering over Jericho with his front paws situated on the bench she sat on. 

“I just wanted to help. You didn’t have to be a bitch about it.” He muttered. He then left the garden, leaving the girl to be by herself once again. Negalia let out a sigh of relief, stroking Poga's head. 

Tomorrow was Negalia’s birthday.

\--

“Well, you look absolutely lovely, today, Sandrina.” Jericho grinned charmingly as he bent over and kissed her hand. Sandrina blushed and smiled in response. 

“Thank you, Jericho!” Sandrina replied through gritted teeth, mentally reminding herself to wash her hands when she had the opportunity. Jericho then turned to her parents, Patriciana and Sutton, and continued to talk up a storm. Meanwhile, in near far end of the hall, Negalia sat, doodling in her journal. 

It was a large, sunlit party hall, people milling about, trying horderves and dancing emotionlessly to string music. Negalia brought her mechanical pencil to her mouth and chewed, lowering her eyes and observing the crowd. Most were high elves, although there were a few humans and half elves scattered about. She really didn’t want to be there, would much rather be spending her time outside in the sun, or in her bedroom creating something. Or even spending time with Buttons. Although anything would be preferable compared to sitting alone at a table watching her family pretend to like other family members, she was stuck there. Negalia remembered how her older sister practically dragged her out of her room, forcing her to put on a dress and brush her unruly magenta hair. 

“You really should think about getting this trimmed. I swear, this rat’s nest on your head takes up more space than your entire body mass.” Sandrina commented as she greedily grabbed Negalia’s hair and forced it into a tight bun. 

“Mom wanted me to get you ready, because she knew you wouldn’t be able to do it on your own. You better thank me for this.” 

“...Thanks.” Negalia muttered, looking down at her carpeted floor.

“And -prince- Jericho is coming, so try to put up with him I guess.” Sandrina gagged as she said his name, adding hair pins and decorations to her sister’s hair as she droned on. Negalia winced, feeling her heart skip a beat. 

“Why? I didn’t tell them to invite him-” 

 

“You didn’t tell them to invite anyone. You have no friends, remember?” 

Negalia sighed, slumping down in her seat. 

 

\--

“Don’t you want to get up and dance? You like this song, don’t you?” Negalia’s father questioned as he sat himself down next to her at the table. Negalia put her pencil down, listening to the arrangement. She never heard the song in her entire life. 

“I don’t really want to dance. I just wanna sit I guess.” Negalia replied, still looking down at her book, studying what she wrote down. She picked her pencil back up and continued writing. 

“Didn’t you promise your mother the other night that you’d have a dance with me? It’s your birthday, you’re officially an adult….” He trailed off, trying to think of another reason. “Sandrina had a dance with me on her birthday this year.... Why shouldn’t you?” Negalia sighed, flipping to the next page of her notebook. 

“...Fine.”

\-- 

The day went on. She greeted relatives she hadn’t seen for years, had her photo taken with her family, danced with her father, and then continued to sit by herself at the table in the far back corner. She watched with mild amusement as her older sister danced with a prince from another kingdom, and her younger brother Laurentine ran around the grand hall with their cousins. It was dark outside now, the grand chandelier had been lit and the melting ice sculptures had been carted off. It had been a relatively uneventful birthday, just like her past ones. It was actually pretty peaceful, until Negalia felt two hands plant themselves on her shoulders. Startled, she let out a small yelp. Before she could turn around to see who it was, Jericho leaned over her shoulder, his face too close for comfort. 

“I haven’t seen you all day. If no one told me, I would’ve had no idea today was your birthday.” 

Negalia froze, his hands felt heavy on her shoulders. She wanted nothing more than to shrivel up and run away from his touch. 

“...Hey Jericho.” 

“That’s no way to address a prince, you know.” Jericho smirked as he dropped himself ungracefully on the chair beside her, resting his chin on his hands. “You’re lucky our parents are friends.” 

Negalia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. 

“What do you want?” Negalia deadpanned, ignoring him as she flipped through her notebook, trying to find a clean page. Jericho furrowed his brows and scoffed. 

“I see you’re still as charming as ever, Negalia.” Jericho replied, crossing his arms. 

“Mm.” 

“You should look at someone while they’re talking to you. Not ignore them with your nose buried in a book.”  
“Maybe I just don’t want to talk to you.” Negalia responded under her breath. She knew she’d immediately regret it as she saw Jericho swipe the book from her. 

“What’s in here that’s so interesting, anyway? Is it your diary?” He snickered, thumbing through the pages while giving her a condescending glare. 

“Give that back!” Negalia protested, trying to take the book from him. Jericho easily swatted her hands away and began reading from a random page in a mocking voice. 

Or at least, he tried to. 

All of it was written in Elvish. 

Jericho set the book down, rolling his eyes. “...Ugh. Whatever, I bet it’s nothing entertaining, not like you’d have anything important to write down anyway, I’d imagine.”

He lazily tossed it back to a frantic Negalia, who hugged the book tightly to her chest. 

“You shouldn’t touch people’s things without their permission.” Negalia muttered, looking down at the contents of the table. 

Jericho nonchalantly ran his hand through his dark hair and gave her an amused look, but before he could respond, the music stopped, and a loud chiming came from the front of the hall. Both Negalia and Jericho’s parents stood on a broad platform, motioning for the two of them to come over. 

“Great. Time to get this over with.” Jericho groaned and slipped off the seat, heading towards the platform. It took Negalia a few moments to register what was going on. She sighed, and headed over to her parents waiting for her. 

“Everyone- we’d all like to make a wonderful announcement!” Patriciana, Negalia's mother, started, her voice projecting throughout the entire room. Just by the sound of it Negalia could tell her mother practiced in her room before the party started. She sounded too pristine, too happy. She never sounded like that unless she forced it. Her mother continued droning on, while everyone looked forward with excitement, almost as if they knew what was about to happen. Voices began to hush, whispers of gossip ran throughout the hall. Patriciana motioned to Negalia, and took her by the hand. She wasn’t listening however, was too overwhelmed by the mere amount of people looking at her. 

“Today, on our youngest daughter’s birthday, we’re proud to say that Negalia is getting married!” 

A sudden applause erupted from the hall, family members nodding their heads in approval. Her mother continued, going on to explain the benefits of a marriage to their family, and the prosperity to come in the future. 

Negalia stopped listening. All the voices became one, deafening cacophony to her. 

She almost felt all the color drain from her face. She looked to the side, to see Jericho staring. 

Smiling.

The wedding is a year from now. 

\--

The wedding is six months from now, and they were yelling, again. 

Well, a more correct way of putting it would be he was yelling at her. 

Jericho advanced towards Negalia, hands gripped into tight, angry fists. His eyes were narrowed, eyebrows twitching. It wasn’t the angriest he’s been- but he was definitely in a foul mood. 

“...And what exactly- what made you think you could just go and make a decision like that without my approval? What makes you think you can just get away with something like that?” Jericho barked, cornering the shorter girl into the wall, leering down at her. Negalia only stuttered in response, looking down at her feet. Her eyes welled to the brim with tears. 

“Christ, Negalia, look at me when I’m fucking talking to you!” Jericho yelled, grabbing her roughly by the chin and forcing her to look right into his piercing gaze. 

“I- I’m sorry!” She yelped. 

Jericho rolled his blue eyes, moaning exasperatedly. “Of course- of course that’s all you have to say- Sorry!” He jeered, his nose curling unpleasantly. “I’m sorry Jericho! I’m sorry! I don’t know what to do Jericho! I’m confused again, Jericho! I need your help, I’m too stupid to do anything on my own Jericho!” The human attempted to mimic her in an exceedingly mocking tone, whining and flailing his hands around in a childlike manner. “Can’t you do anything right Negalia? You’re like a walking disaster!” 

The elven girl frowned and looked down to the side, trying to hold back tears. “What do you want me to say?” 

Jericho raised his hand and it came crashing against Negalia’s cheek, leaving a sharp stinging sensation. Negalia let out a soft sob, covering her face and cowering before the other. 

“Are you seriously trying to make me mad right now? Fuck- I don’t have time for you to start sobbing like a child, Negalia. Stop.” Jericho demanded, Negalia immediately attempted to oblige, wiping her tears with her sleeve. Locks of her hair fell above her eyes, resting upon her forehead. She took a long strand of the hair and began playing with it to calm herself down, eyes resting on the ground where his shoes met hers. 

Jericho groaned, bringing a hand to his face and pinching the skin above his nose. “Do you have to do that every time you’re scared? You have to go and fiddle with your hair like it’s a security blanket- It gets sickening to watch after a while.” Negalia immediately stopped and dropped her hands to her sides. Her instincts told her to say sorry- but she went against it and remained silent before the other. Jericho sighed. 

“At least you’re acting obedient- That’s a relief. It took a while but it seems I’ve finally trained you not to constantly talk back to me.” Jericho hummed as he took a strand of Negalia’s hair and tugged on it lightly, examining it. Negalia winced, the action reminded her too much of when he would continually pull on her hair when they were children. 

“I think that for the wedding you should get it cut short- maybe up to your shoulders.” He commented while petting the top of her head, stroking her hair. Negalia instantly shuddered, the thought made her squirm. 

“I- I don’t think I want to cut it.” 

Jericho raised a brow. Negalia stiffened and immediately expected him to smack her again. Instead he folded his arms and smirked, interested in how she tried to challenge him. 

“Well, Negalia, I’m sure at this stage in our relationship you’ve come to realize that I really don’t care what you think. You’d have to be utterly hopeless to have the idea that I need your opinion.” 

Negalia stood silent, unsure of how to respond. The only thing running through her head being no no no no. 

Jericho, pleased with her lack of response, smiled. “It’s getting cut, Negalia. That’s final. I’m not having my bride walk down the aisle looking like a freak of nature who doesn’t know what scissors are.” 

Jericho then made his way back to the manor, leaving Negalia alone in the courtyard. 

 

“I don’t want to.” 

He kept walking, ignoring her. 

Negalia then went up to him, grabbing him by the arm. He stopped in his tracks, twisting around and looking at the other with disgust. 

“I said I’m not cutting it!” Negalia managed, trying to sound confident. Jericho jerked his arm out of her grip, grimacing. 

“Don’t think you can touch me like that again or I’ll slice your arm off.” Jericho threatened, jerking hand back then continued walking away. Negalia flinched, then directly went back to following him- running up and blocking his path. 

“I- I’ll do anything! Literally anything other than my hair- please!” Negalia begged, covering the top of her head with frantic hands. Jericho hissed, his teeth grinding against each other. 

“Get the fuck out of the way, you cunt.” He seethed, raising his hand. “Do you want me to slap you again? Or maybe give you another scar to match the one I left on your face?” Jericho menaced. Negalia hesitated, letting out a quiet whimper before starting again. 

“Jericho please! Listen to me for just once-” 

“Oh, I’ve been listening to you alright! I’ve been listening to you incessantly whine and bitch my entire life about stupid nonsensical bullshit that doesn’t matter!” Jericho took the girl’s hand and spun her around, pushing her to the grass. “You think I don’t remember all the times you’ve complained and moaned and cried? You think I want to marry you? I don’t! I’d rather jump off a cliff then spend the rest of my life with an ungrateful bitch like you!” Jericho shouted, picking Negalia up by the hair and kicking her down again, landing on the hard brick pathway. Negalia choked desperately, trying to catch her breath. 

 

Jericho marched over to her and planted his foot down on her chest, sending a swift kick to her ribs. Negalia sputtered, struggling to bring her weakened arms to her throat. Panicking, she awkwardly stood up and tried to retreat back to the house- only to have Jericho stop her by taking her by the end of her hair. Negalia let out a pained scream, and Jericho grunted. 

“Shut up!” 

It was like a tug of war, Negalia tried running away from his grip, Jericho pulling cruelly from the front of her hair. It wasn’t before long that in the midst of Negalia’s crying and pleas, a loud, unmistakable rip sound broke out. Negalia gasped in horror, and screamed inhumanly loud. Her scalp stung, feeling as if a thousand needles were shoved into her. 

Jericho stopped- and stared at his hand. A long, poofy lock of Magenta hair rested in his grip. He looked up, grinning maniacally. Negalia yelled when she saw what he held in his hand, and pushed him out of the way and rushed back to the house. The only thing she heard were the crickets chirping and him laughing. 

 

\---

When Sandrina saw her, she let out a high pitched, disgusted shriek. Her eyes widened with shock, and immediately rushed over to her sister and took her by the shoulders, demanding an explanation. 

“Christ, Negalia! What in heaven’s name happened to your HEAD?!” Sandrina yelled, her voice shrill and her expression mortified. Negalia could only turn herself to the side, trying to hide her face but knowing all too well that her botched hair was still in plain view of her sister’s line of vision. Negalia’s face grew hot and her body tensed as Sandrina continued her rapid fire interrogation. 

“What happened?! Did you try cutting it yourself? God! It looks as if someone tore it out!” 

Negalia cringed at the accurate description, bringing a shameful hand up to her head and covering the bald spot near her bangs with her palm. 

“I- I don’t want to talk about it.” Negalia muttered, her mouth stinging and her eyes threatening to spill over with tears. She struggled to speak, feeling as if there were a lump in the back of her throat. She pushed her sister away and ran up the staircase, ignoring Sandrina shouting for her to come back. 

Negalia made her way around the hall way and to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her and locking the door. She tore off her dress, stained with wine, and climbed into her bed, shaking and crying. She lifted her head up from her soaked pillow, fat tears still rushing down her red cheeks. Negalia whimpered, bringing the bed sheet to her face and wailing into it. She reluctantly tilted her head to catch a glimpse of herself in her full length mirror, wincing when she saw her hair. 

A spot near her bangs was completely bald- a large chunk had been painfully ripped out and the pain and sting of it still remained hot on her scalp. She raised her fingertips to inspect the sensitive flesh- and recoiled when she felt the burning sensation that occurred. She sniffled, sitting upright and cross legged as she stared back at her heartbroken reflection in the mirror. 

She looked hideous- even more so than before. 

Her hair was one of the few things she actually liked about her appearance. She loved brushing it, touching it, running her fingers through it, feeling the soft texture and admiring its length. 

And now it was ruined. 

He ruined it. 

She gripped the bedsheets tightly in her curled fists, filled with anger and pain. Why? Why did he have to do this? Why did he enjoy making her so miserable? She whined in frustration, taking her pillow and letting out a muffled scream into it. 

\---

“Well Negalia! You look beautiful!” Jericho exclaimed, clasping his hands together. He chuckled as he watched his fiancee glare at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes glazed over from all the crying. He came up from behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders, grinning wildly as they both looked at the mirror. 

“I told you you’d look stunning with shorter hair! It’s much more neat and elegant now, don’t you agree?” Jericho chimed, almost as if he was having a conversation with his own reflection in the vanity. He tucked his hand under her chin and rested his head atop of hers, sighing with content. 

“It just goes to show you should listen to me more often, Negalia. You won’t regret it.”  
\--

The wedding is in three months. 

She was looking through her old notebook, trying to cheer herself up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. She flipped through the pages, finding a passage where she was writing about how she was going to tell Matteo how she felt about him. As Negalia looked at the date, it was almost a year ago. As she was about to close the book to refrain from remembering the incident that happened afterwards, her bedroom door slammed open. 

“There you are. I was looking everywhere for you.” Jericho snapped, clearly irritated. “You just left after dinner without even saying anything, can’t you see how rude that is?” He marched over to the girl and ripped the notebook out of her hands. At any other point in her life, Negalia would have at least tried to fight back, or ask him to give it back to her. Instead she just sat on her bed silently. 

“I’m sorry.” 

A hand reached out and smacked her, and she fell to the floor, wincing. She placed her hand over the area Jericho hit, tears forming at her eyes. 

“I’m tired of hearing you say sorry all the goddamn time. You’re such a doormat it’s pathetic.” Jericho complained. He looked at the book he held in his hands “What were you doing up here anyway? Writing in your fucking diary?” He peered into it, reading the passage. For a few moments, the two were silent, Negalia waiting for his reaction. 

He threw the book at the wall, leaving a noticeable chip in the paint. It flew right over Negalia’s head, nearly hitting her. She cringed and covered her head, cowering in the corner. Jericho marched over and grabbed her by the hair violently, practically picking her entire body up with it. She let out a shriek of pain, clawing at his harsh grip. 

“What the fuck are you doing, writing about some other guy?!” He yelled, throwing his fiancee against the wall. She yelped, beginning to sob. 

“I wasn’t writing it! It’s old- It’s from a long time ago, I swear!” Negalia defended, struggling to speak through hiccups. 

“Then why the hell are you reading that shit then? I don’t want to hear your fucking excuses!” He shouted, balling his fists in anger. He walked over to her and threw her onto the bed, twisting her arm behind her back. He shoved her head into the blankets, muffling her cries. 

“I’m sick of hearing you whine about how you don’t want to get married. You think I want to be stuck with someone as ugly as you for the rest of my life?” He nearly screamed, his nails digging so hard into her skin it nearly formed welts. 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Negalia begged desperately, her pleas muffled. 

“I said shut UP!” Jericho yelled. He pushed her further into the mattress, his breath growing heavy. Negalia never felt so terrified in her whole life. “All you do-” Jericho started, his breath ragged and heavy. “is whine, and COMPLAIN, and I’m fucking sick of it!” His grip on her arm tightened, and Negalia whimpered. “I think it’s time I show you your place.” He seethed. He roughly took the hem of her dress and hiked it up, exposing her backside. The elven girl blushed in shame, her tears soaking the blanket. “This will teach you to disrespect me. This will show you what it’s like to be a wife.” 

For a moment, it was silent, and Negalia’s tanned face was now pale with horror. 

Then she heard the sound of a zipper being undone and a belt unbuckling. Negalia could practically feel her heart freeze in place, and every single nerve in her body, told her to run. Run as fast as she could, as far away as possible. 

But she couldn’t move. She just layed there. Like the coward she was. His hands were all over her body and she didn’t know what to do. She was paralyzed by his touch. 

There was a knock on the door. 

“Neggy? I heard loud noises, are you ok?” A young, familiar voice came from behind the door. Jericho cursed, squeezing Negalia’s shoulders tightly. 

 

“Fuck! Shit. Get up. Stop crying.” He quickly began pulling his pants back up, struggling with the zipper. Negalia slid off the bed, and crumpled onto the floor. Jericho was cursing under his breath, bringing a hand to his forehead. 

“Negalia?” The voice asked again. It was Laurentine. 

 

“Yeah, yeah, just a second!” Jericho chimed, his voice sounding uncomfortably cheerful. He looked towards Negalia, who was still crying on the floor, her hands covering her face. “The fuck are you doing? Get up!” He silently hissed. She extended her arm and picked herself up, using the bed as support. She wobbled over to the door, wiping the tears from her face. 

 

“...Hi Laurentine. What are you doing up so late?” Negalia spoke, her voice sounding distraught. 

“I couldn’t sleep.. And then I heard yelling” Laurentine fiddled with his pajama shirt, looking down at the floor. “Was it you?” 

Negalia froze, trying to come up with an explanation. “I just.. Dropped something and got scared, everything’s fine, Laurentine.” Negalia smiled, she felt her eyes watering once again. 

“Ok. Uh, can I come in? I don’t want to go to bed.” 

 

Jericho came from behind Negalia, shoving her out of the way. “You should be getting to bed, kid. We’re busy.” 

Laurentine frowned when he saw the other, not afraid to show his distaste for the man. 

 

“I’m not talking to you! I’m talking to Neggy!” He whined, immediately hugging Negalia by the leg and looked up at Jericho indignantly. “Maybe YOU should go to bed!” 

 

Jericho sighed, running his hand through his hair, exhausted. “Do you want me to drag you by your stupid pink hair to your bed? Because I will.” Jericho threatened, shoving a pointer finger at the ten year old. Negalia gasped, and before she could say anything, Jericho told her to shut up. 

Laurentine grimaced, sticking his tongue out at Jericho. 

“I’ll tuck you into bed, ok Laurentine?” Negalia offered, not wanting the situation to escalate. Jericho scoffed, and Laurentine nodded in response. 

“Don’t wander off and get lost, you stupid c-” Jericho snapped, the last fragment of his sentence getting cut off by Laurentine slamming the door shut. 

 

The two left, leaving Jericho sneering behind the door. Once they were out of earshot, Laurentine asked “What were you two doing in there? Fighting?” Negalia winced, not knowing how to respond. 

“No, just… talking.” 

“He’s the worst! He always makes you sad and hurts you.” Laurentine mumbled, his small fingers coiling around Negalia’s hand. “Mommy and dad like him but I hate him!” 

“Laurentine...don’t talk about him like that. You could get in trouble. Not to mention, soon he’ll be your…” Negalia swallowed a lump in her throat. “Your brother in law.” 

Laurentine only made a disgusted face in response, sticking out his tongue between his several missing teeth. 

\--

Negalia came back, to see Jericho laying on the bed, fully clothed. Negalia sighed in relief, it seemed as if he didn’t plan on continuing. 

“I don’t care, I’m fine with waiting.” Jericho started, as if reading her mind. “It’s best to wait for our wedding day, anyway.” He looked up at her and winked, a sly look on his face. Negalia sighed, and saw the journal laying on the floor, all the pages were ripped out and torn to shreds. 

\--

The wedding was in a week. 

Negalia wanted to do nothing more than scream. 

 

She was walking in town, trying to clear her head. Trying to make sense of the wildfire her life had become. Her head was a mess, a flurry of thoughts and anxiety. 

She then stopped in her tracks when she saw a familiar face. 

It was Matteo, locking the doors of the bakery. 

Negalia looked up at the sky- it was nearly pitch black. How long had she been walking around? The sun was still in the sky when she left the manor…

“Negalia? Is that you?” A cheerful voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and Negalia was greeted by the appearance of Matteo, standing nearly 2 feet away from her. “I haven’t seen you in what seems like years! How are you?” He grinned, hugging a large loaf of bread to his chest. Negalia blushed, taking a step back. 

“....Hi, M-Matteo.” She stuttered, averting her gaze to the cobblestone road they stood on. “Yeah. Long time no see.” 

“I heard you’re getting married, congratulations!” Matteo chimed, blissfully unaware of how much his words stung. Negalia folded her arms, downtrodden. 

“Thank you.” 

Matteo raised a concerned brow, picking up on Negalia’s mood. 

“What’s wrong? Not feeling well?” 

Negalia immediately perked up, putting a fake smile on her face. 

“No! Nothing wrong! I’m just fine.” She laughed. 

\--

“I’m not stupid. I saw you talking to him! You were smiling and laughing and- Look at me when I’m fucking talking to you!” Jericho screeched, taking Negalia by the shoulders and shaking her violently. “This isn’t the first time you’ve tried to talk to other men behind my back too- and a WEEK before our wedding?! Do you want me to do something awful to you?” He barked, right into her ear. Negalia couldn’t think of anything to say to defend herself. Only to sit there and wait til it was over. 

“You don’t have anything to say for yourself, then? Not one word? Then I guess that means you have something to feel guilty about.” Negalia tensed as he placed his hands on her throat. He looked her dead in the eyes, and squeezed. 

Then she ran. 

She ran as fast as she possibly would, dashing into the garden. It wasn’t long until he caught up with her, brandishing a knife of all things. He cornered her into the stone wall, forcing her to stay still. He raised the knife, aiming for her throat. 

Instead, it came crashing down onto her nose, and all Negalia could see was a bright flash of orange and black, and Jericho yelling in shock. 

She cried, holding her nose with her hand, and saw her tiger. 

Poga was pinning Jericho to the ground, growling. 

“What the fuck- Get the hell off of me! Negalia get your dumb pet off of me before I kill it!” 

\-- 

“You see- me and Negalia were spending a peaceful evening in the garden. Something must have set off that feral beast of hers, because out of absolutely nowhere, it attacked her! I tried to save her, as you can see.” Jericho motioned to the faint scratch he received on his shoulder blade. 

Her father looked towards her mother, worried. 

“That can’t be good… maybe we should have the tiger be put down if that’s the case-” 

“Agreed.” Jericho joyfully interjected, which earned two annoyed looks from them. 

\--

After countless hours of begging and pleading, her parents decided not to go with the idea. 

If only they felt the same way about her marrying Jericho. 

\--

The wedding was tomorrow.


End file.
